The most famous compact in the world prepares the aesthetic renewal of its commercial mid-life of its current generation. Recognizable as Volkswagen Golf 8.5, following the recent trend, it’s coming out is scheduled for the first half of next year, coinciding with the fiftieth anniversary of the model that has traditionally been a reference in the C segment. After the many controversies surrounding it In 2019, when the present iteration of the model was shown to the public, the German brand addresses many of these criticisms with its update, in addition to adapting its mechanical range to continue reducing the declared emissions figures. Autocar has had access to some images and important details about this Volkswagen Golf 8.5, which we will tell you about below.
VW Golf 8.5 Interior
Starting next year, the Volkswagen Golf will take advantage of the latest version of the MQB platform, which has supported most of the German manufacturer’s models in recent times. As will happen with the imminent Volkswagen Tiguan and Volkswagen Passat, the architecture that will support the German compact will be the MQB Evo. Its main innovations, including new supports for its rear axle, are aimed at offering greater rigidity to its chassis.
The most relevant innovations concerning its aesthetics are focused on the front and rear bumpers, as well as its front headlights and the passenger compartment. Regarding the latter, new materials will be integrated into it —such as a kind of Alcantara from recycled materials, called Atrilur— and the tactile buttons will be renewed, in an attempt to respond to the criticism received since the beginning of the commercialization of this model. in 2020. In this sense, the climate control controls will now be backlit and the capacitive ones on the steering wheel will be replaced by conventional ones, a change that will undoubtedly be widely applauded by fans and the specialized press.
In this update, the Wolfsburg brand tries to address the weak points of the current generation of the Volkswagen Golf, such as its interior qualities and the buttons for climate control and other functions.
Integrated into a central console that will slightly modify its design, the screen of its infotainment system will be 12.9 inches diagonal and will simplify, according to Volkswagen, its information layout, in addition to increasing the size of the icons. The digital instrumentation will be 10.4 inches. This update will also help Volkswagen continue to advance in the development of its disputed software and, as a consequence, will improve the performance of many of its driving assistants, as well as its connectivity with other devices. For example, it is expected that parking maneuvers can be carried out remotely with the help of a smartphone.
Massive electrification of the range and only automatic transmission
On the other hand, the marketing of this renewal of the Wolfsburg compact will also bring about changes in the structure of its range and the availability of certain mechanical options. Thus, the manufacturer intends to offer this model exclusively with a dual-clutch automatic transmission in every one of its versions. The objective pursued by the brand with this measure is to reduce as much as possible the average level of CO2 emissions for the whole of its range.
The 1.5-liter TSI Evo will replace the previous 1.4-liter version as the combustion part in plug-in hybrid models, both hybrid and GTE
As for the catalog of mechanical options, this renewal of the Volkswagen Golf will also imply a greater role for electrified options. In this sense, the already existing micro-hybrid options, with the three-cylinder one-liter capacity and the four-cylinder 1.5-liter capacity as protagonists, will benefit from greater electrical power, with the consequent result of lowering declared consumption. This micro hybridization will also be extended to the two four-cylinder, two-liter displacement engines, both the diesel, which will mean an eTDI version, and the gasoline, the latter available with 190 hp today only in some markets, although it may expand. your availability to new territories thanks to becoming an eTSI.
About the plug-in hybrid versions, Volkswagen will abandon the 1.4 TSI that is currently part of the propulsion system of the eHybrid and GTE, to adopt the aforementioned 1.5 TSI, a member of the Evo generation of this family of engines. The electrical system that will accompany it will also be new, with revised electronics and the ability to deliver more power. Likewise, and according to information from the German research and development center in Brunswick to which Autocar has had access, the battery, which currently stores up to 13 kWh of electrical energy, would increase its capacity and allow it to offer range in zero emissions mode. up to 100 km -71 km for the GTE represent the current maximum figure.
As we discussed at the beginning of this article, the 8.5 generation of the Volkswagen Golf will hit the market during the first half of next year. The shadow hangs over this update that it will almost certainly be the last time we can enjoy the Volkswagen Golf with an internal combustion engine, as Thomas Schäfer, executive president of Volkswagen Cars, has dropped.
